Art Galleries

Alabama has strongly always strongly supported the visual arts. The state is home to a number of excellent art museums, and even many of the smaller communities are home to galleries featuring the work of local artists.

The Birmingham Museum of Art has grown from a five-room SOMETHING in city hall to the largest municipal museum in the Southeast. The museum's permanent collection features over 21,000 works of art dating from the fifteenth century to the present day. Temporary exhibits include both major traveling exhibitions to smaller showings focusing on the work of a single artist. Located in downtown Birmingham, the Museum also features an outdoor sculpture garden, museum store, and a terrace café on the second floor atrium.www.artsbma.org

Step into Gallerie Alegria and you'll be emerged in subtly backlit orbs, glimmering representations of nature, and swooping lines of bright color. The gallery display contemporary glass art by established masters like Dale Chihuly as well as emerging national, international and regional artists. Many of the artists shown at Gallerie Alegria are available for commissioned architectural work and installation pieces. The gallery is located in the English Village shopping district of Mountain Brook, a suburb of Birmingham. www.galleriealegria.com

A modern 40,000 square foot building overlooking a 3-acre lake on the campus Auburn University, the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art is one of the most respected arts museums in the South. Permanent collections primarily include American and European art of the 19th and 20th century. Works by such masters as Chagall, Renoir, Salvador Dalí, Picasso, Miró and Matisse can be found within the museum's eight exhibition galleries. The museum grounds themselves encompass 15- acres of botanical gardens showcasing large sculptures, walking paths and water features. www.julecollinssmithmuseum.com

Founded in 1991, this unique gallery buys and sells rare pieces of art created by self-taught artists. The gallery focuses on the work of contemporary folk and fringe artists, pieces shaped by life outside of the mainstream. The collection represents artists from many different areas, philosophical beliefs and personal backgrounds. The gallery's location in Montgomery is available for informal showings by appointment. www.marciaweberartobjects.com

Richard Templeton's artwork reflects the interests of the communities within the Gulf Coast region. His love of coastal life is reflected in the warm impressionistic tones of his sketches and watercolor paintings. A native of New England, Templeton spent the majority of his life in Mobile, and deeply enjoyed capturing the vivid lifestyle of the region. www.templetongallery.com

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